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[ Her assessment gets him to laugh openly, because it’s so unexpected as a first impression. ]

Why, I get the impression that you’re referencing something in particular there… But I shan’t pry~.

[ He is curious, though. Secretly. If it’s anyone here, he’d enjoy being a gossip on something so inane, but he really won’t pry any more than that. He just leads her over to a detailed portrait of a young woman that he smiles warmly at, though on the way, Ereshkigal is likely to notice another.

Sitting by a window is a smaller portrait of a younger girl, and by the basics of her appearance, it seems like she’d resemble Vivian, but her face is also completely obscured in the drawing. Delicate lace covers her face artfully save for a warm smile. There’s no other detail other than her ears and the lilac hair. Yet, also tellingly, there’s a vase of fresh flowers underneath—white lilies and periwinkle.

The focus is Vivian, though. Hugo grins a little as he goes through the motions of introducing them as if Vivian were truly here. ]

Here we are— Ereshkigal, Vivian, and Vivian, Ereshkigal.

[ He even gestures between them both as if he were waiting for a conversation, but he’s just being theatrical for the sake of it. He straightens again as he looks at the portrait, and his smile softens. It’s clear from his expression that he not only loves her—he adores her. ]

…I’ve been working on it most of the time I’ve been here, actually. This is the version I’m finally happy with.

Edited 2025-12-29 18:52 (UTC)

[ Thank goodness he doesn't pry, because else she might have gone on a rant about Ishtar. Not everyone is so fortunate as to go along well with their sibling... There is something to be said about criticizing every aspect of your sibling's existence, but. They're a very special case.

For now, the paintings! She notices the smaller portrait, but focuses on the big one as soon as he "introduces" her. ]

Wow. [She beams.] She's so pretty...!

[ Flowers, elegant clothes, red eyes... Yep, they'd be friends indeed. She can tell as much just by seeing the picture. And the work on it is a touch above that of the other paintings in the gallery. She's probably even more important to him than she'd realized.

She approaches the portrait to look more closely at the details. She's not an art critic by any means, but-- It's obvious he's put so much work into it. ]

... You must really miss her.

Isn’t she? I think that was part of what gave me so much trouble. First, capturing her features, and then second, suffering over all the frilly, gothic outfits she likes to wear.

[ He laughs warmly for his struggles, though. He really had spent far too long learning how to draw ruffles of all things, but it just wouldn’t have felt like Vivian without them. Even if he’d say it jokingly, that effort was a testament of his love for her.

Hugo stays where he is as Ereshkigal takes a closer look. It’s all delicate pencil and pastels, which is what makes it look so soft and dreamy. So, his response is both immediate and unsurprising. ]

I do. Every day.

[ It’s sincere and warm, but there’s an understandable melancholy underlining it. It’s softened from the reality of his feelings, though. The portrait is done out of love, but it’s a similar, sad love to Serena’s by the window, just in reverse. He’s the one that’s died this time, but the outcome is similar. He doesn’t think he’ll ever see her again unless Patho-Gen is incredibly cruel and brings her here too. ]

We’re closer than I was to any of my actual siblings, you know. So, I miss our mundane little routines from living together. I’m a better cook than she is, so having dinner together. She’s better at doing my nails than I am, so having our weekly-ish movie nights where we’d work on our manicures…

[ He laughs a little, but it’s a soft one. This isn’t something he’d normally admit, but with Ereshkigal, it feels… safe. That’s the only word he can think of to describe it. ]

It’s lonelier without her than I would have ever guessed.

[ She most definitely has good taste in clothes... And that's not a biased statement at all just because this goddess so happens to have similar taste in clothes, if only slightly darker and less frilly, no no. It's just an objective matter of fact. ]

That sounds like the two of you were better siblings than most blood-related ones.

[ Ereshkigal being one of the most ancient example in human history of siblings not getting along well.

But... She really ought not to be summoned here. She can tell just from the portrait, the kind of horrors they suffer here might be too much for her. Humans adapt and survive to any situations, but there is always something that breaks in the process. It's going to be horribly lonely for him, but it's better that way.

... ... ... ... ...

She turns around and without warning take his hand to look at his nails. ]

Mhm... [She nods and then looks up at him.] If you'd like, I could do your nails every now and then. I've been doing mine on my own since nail polish was first invented five thousand years ago. [How did a Chinese invention make its way to the Sumerian Underworld? B-Better not question Fate/ logic] There's no way I could ever make up for her absence and I would never even dare trying. But if that could help you feel less lonely... That's something I'd very much like to do.

Edited 2026-01-04 19:04 (UTC)

[ He laughs and nods as he crosses his arms. His eyes don’t leave Vivian’s portrait, which is partially because he’s drawn into examining some of the flaws that only he can see… But it’s also to make what he says something casual. ]

Oh, absolutely. I came from a big family, and all of my siblings were terrible. Well, half-siblings, but it’s still a blood-relation, unfortunately~.

[ It’s the tiniest of lies, since not all of them were terrible, but he’s not going to get into explaining the other girl’s portrait, now is he? Besides, as she offers, Hugo looks at her with open surprise at first, but it’s quick to bloom into a smile. ]

Would you? [ Another laugh, but this one is almost bashful. ] I… would like that, yes. It’d be a lovely little routine to get back to.

[ Terrible siblings, huh...

It's okay she gets it. She knows what it's like to publicly tell your sibling is the physical embodiment of everything that's wrong in existence, but deep down loving her and missing her so much. Sometimes it's just complicated(tm). ]

Of course!

[ She lets go of his hand and smiles brightly. S-She's never really done that with someone either, but that sounds like a fun activity, and Hugo is someone she has grown to trust. ]

Next I come, I'll bring my nail polish. I'll just need to know your favorite colors.

[ What a relief that she doesn’t ask about it… He doesn’t like talking about his family, and especially not when there’s a much cuter topic at hand (literally). ]

Ah, that’s easy, at least. Purple is my favorite color. [ Which she might have guessed by this point, actually, since he tends to wear purples a lot. ] But on my nails I prefer black, usually. Any dark color works, though, since it matches my sense of fashion best.

[ aka they’re exactly the same in this ]

Color coordination is important.

[ It's good he can discern just using his favorite color everywhere wouldn't make for a great result. She tried long ago and the result was disastrous. She smiles and nods at him. She probably should think about getting back... And for next time: ]

Black is also usually the color I use. That or dark shades of red. I'll bring them with me next time.

Mm, I think we have rather similar aesthetic tastes, just based on what I've seen you wear here!

[ Though also, her thought was correct... She has a very similar sense of fashion to Vivian, so they're the ones that would get along perfectly in this regard. Though at least in both cases, there's definitely an overlap! ]

Just bring whatever you're thinking about, honestly. We don't have to match perfectly, but perhaps complimentary sets? I wouldn't want to trouble you by getting too much polish.

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